By Jim Ellia on Jun 19, 2017 in Air Conditioning |

Everyone wants to stay cool and comfortable during these hot summer days. When you’re running your air conditioning and it keeps tripping your circuit breaker, not only is your family’s comfort at stake, but this could be a sign of a serious problem with your unit. 6 Reasons Your Air Conditioner is Tripping Your Circuit Breaker When in doubt, call in the professionals to take a look at your HVAC system, especially if you reset the unit and it trips the circuit breaker again. Only try to reset the unit once! If it keeps tripping, this is a sure sign that something is malfunctioning with your unit. These are a few of the most common reasons your air conditioner is tripping your circuit breaker: The air filter is dirty. We’ve mentioned before that it’s vital to replace the air filter on a regular basis. A dirty filter makes your unit work much harder, struggling to pull in air and using far more electricity than it should. Which, in turn, could lead to tripping the circuit breaker. The condenser coils need to be cleaned. Located in the outside unit, the condenser coils are designed to release heat from the inside of your home to the outside. When they’re dirty, they can’t function the way they should, and once again, your system has to work that much harder to cool the air in your home. Low refrigerant caused by a leak. If there’s not enough refrigerant in the system, you guessed it – your unit is getting overworked. Low refrigerant is often caused by a leak, which needs to be fixed by a professional. The fan is malfunctioning. If the fan in the condensing unit outside isn’t working as it should, your A/C can overheat. Again, you’ll need to call in a professional heating and cooling company to repair a broken fan. The capacitor and/or compressor are old or weak. The capacitor is responsible for starting your system, and when it’s gets old or goes bad, it starts pulling too much electricity and trips the breaker. Likewise, when the compressor in the outdoor unit gets weak, it will have trouble starting and once again use too much electricity to function as...

By Jim Ellia on Jun 5, 2017 in Air Conditioning |

When the heat and humidity rise, homeowners across Northeast Ohio will start turning on their air conditioning for relief. There’s nothing worse than sweltering away inside due to a faulty HVAC system! Luckily, there are a few things you can do to not only ensure your family’s comfort, but to also lower some of your summer energy bills. 5 HVAC Maintenance Tips for the Summer Keep your home cool and avoid emergency breakdowns over the summer by completing these easy summer HVAC maintenance tasks: Replace or clean the air filter. A clean air filter allows the air to flow evenly throughout your home, so checking the filter is the first task on your list this summer. This is especially important due to the fact that your HVAC system is about to kick into high gear and get a lot of use over these warmer months. Replace that dirty filter right away, or if you have a reusable filter, make sure to give it a good cleaning. Tidy up the outdoor unit. As you’re getting your yard ready for those summer barbecues, don’t neglect cleaning up around the HVAC system’s outdoor unit. Clear away dirt and debris from the top, and trim down any shrubbery and grass growing up around it. Seal up leaky spaces. Check your doors and windows to see if there are any places where that precious cool air could be escaping. Inadequate insulation around doors, windows, up in the attic can or even around air ducts will make your unit work that much harder to cool down your home. Plus, it can increase wear and tear on your system and possibly cause it to malfunction. Upgrade your thermostat. Do you still have an old-school thermostat that only allows you to set the temperature in your home to one setting? This could really affect your family’s comfort levels and increase your energy bills, as your system is not running as efficiently as it could. Install a programmable thermostat instead, which will allow your system to run only when you need it most. Schedule HVAC maintenance with the professionals. There are certainly several advantages to having a heating and cooling expert come out to your home to service...

By Jim Ellia on May 8, 2017 in Air Conditioning, Furnaces |

No matter the time of year, you want your HVAC system to work reliably. Whether it’s a hot summer night and you’re trying to get comfortable to sleep, or it’s a frigid winter day that’s best spent indoors, your HVAC system is key to improving the comfort levels in your home. The Top 3 HVAC Problems In order to help you troubleshoot some of the issues you may be having with your system, three of the most common HVAC problems include: Your HVAC system is blowing lukewarm or semi-cool air. If you’ve got the heat or air conditioning running but the house is never quite warming up or cooling down, you might have a dirty filter. Don’t forget to change your filter on a monthly basis, as it greatly aids in helping your system run as efficiently as possible. If the filter was just recently swapped out for a new one, check your thermostat to make sure you’ve got it properly set to heat or cool. For air conditioning, if you have an outdoor unit, it could simply need to be reset; there may be a red button on the unit to push. Or, you might be low on refrigerant, and this is when it’s time to call in a professional. The HVAC system is leaking. Your indoor unit should never leak under any circumstances. But, if it is, this doesn’t necessarily indicate a major problem. When the air conditioning is on, sometimes condensation can accumulate on the evaporator coil. If you notice leakage in the winter months, sometimes today’s high efficiency furnaces have also been known to produce some condensation. When in doubt, get leaks checked by a heating and cooling company. The outdoor unit is making weird noises. Are you hearing thumping, humming, squealing, popping, banging or rumbling sounds? Some of these noises may indicate a fairly serious problem, like a loose blower wheel, broken motor mount, bad motor bearings, etc., and should be check out by a professional. This is especially true if any of the sounds get worse or louder and louder over time. Remember, the majority of these common HVAC problems can be addressed by scheduling your annual maintenance check. You can not only...

By Jim Ellia on Apr 3, 2017 in Air Conditioning |

Before we know it, the warm summer weather will be here and our air conditioning systems will be working hard to keep our homes cool and comfortable. Spring is the perfect time of year to perform some routine maintenance on your HVAC system to make sure it will be running in optimal condition when we need it most – on those muggy, hot, long summer days.   Keep Your HVAC System Healthy this Spring While some spring maintenance tasks can be handled on your own, others are left best to the professionals. Not only do you want to avoid your HVAC system breaking down during the summer, but you also want to make sure it’s running as efficiently as possible. Let’s discuss all the things you can do this spring to get your system ready for the hot months ahead. DIY Spring HVAC Tune-Up Tasks Here’s what you can do on your own to get your HVAC system ready for summer: Replace the filter. Your furnace filter should be changed often; it’s recommended to swap it out once a month, since a dirty filter will make your system work that much harder to properly heat or cool your home. Clear away debris. On the outside unit, clear away any leaves, sticks, dirt and other debris that may have collected around it throughout the winter. The compressor in your air conditioning unit requires proper air flow to work as efficiently as possible, so make sure shrubbery or trees are at least three feet away. Check for wear and tear. After the unit is cleaned off, inspect it for any damage like dents, cracks, leaks, etc. If anything appears to be broken, make a note of it to discuss with a professional heating and cooling company. Install a programmable thermostat. If you aren’t already using a programmable thermostat, there’s no time like the present to install one and get ready to start reaping the benefits, which include lower utility bills and more overall home comfort. Professional Spring HVAC Tune-Up Of course, calling the professionals to do your spring HVAC tune-up is actually an even better idea. An HVAC company knows exactly what to look for, plus will perform routine maintenance to...

By Jim Ellia on Mar 20, 2017 in Air Conditioning, energy efficiency, Furnaces |

When you’re getting ready to put your home on the market, there are often a lot of questions about how you can ask and receive the highest price possible. Many buyers today are looking for a house that’s move-in ready; updated kitchen and bathrooms, gleaming hardwood floors, and a fresh coat of paint tend to go a long way in increasing home value. However, there’s another thing to consider too: Upgrading your current HVAC system. How an HVAC Upgrade Helps Ensure a Quick Sale Generally speaking, if your current system is less than ten years old and is in fine working order, you don’t need to worry about replacing it to appeal to those potential buyers. Obviously, upgrading an HVAC system is major investment, and as the saying goes – “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” However, potential buyers do like to know that all the mechanicals in the home are working properly, and many buyers are also concerned with energy efficiency. If your current furnace and air conditioning unit are getting up there in years, there may be worries that they’ll have to replace it themselves in the next year or two. Plus, the system probably isn’t running as efficiently as today’s newer versions. Prospective homebuyers are well aware that HVAC systems are not designed to last forever. And, while you might be somewhat hesitant to make such a large investment in a home you’ll be leaving, remember that the cost of the new system can be built into the sale price. In fact, a study conducted in 2015 by the National Association of Realtors, called the Remodeling Impact Report, revealed that sellers can expect to recoup 71% of the cost of replacing their HVAC system. In other words, if the system cost $7,000 to replace, sellers will recover up to $5,000 of the costs when they put their home on the market. Another great reason to upgrade your HVAC system is to increase home energy efficiency, which as mentioned before is something a lot of potential buyers are looking for in a new home. Today’s homebuyers are more financially savvy than those of the past, and they’ll be not only evaluating the cost of your home,...

By Jim Ellia on Oct 24, 2016 in Air Conditioning |

It’s that time of year in Northeast Ohio when we give our air conditioning a rest for the next several months. However, maybe over the summer you noticed that your unit wasn’t blowing very cold air, or maybe your electric bill was through the roof because it wasn’t working as efficiently as it should. This means it’s probably time to start budgeting and doing some research so you’re ready to purchase a new system next year. SEER Rating – What it Means to Your Air Conditioning System When you’re starting your research for a new air conditioning unit, you’ll undoubtedly hear a lot about the term “SEER”. SEER stands for Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio, and it’s an important factor to consider when purchasing a new system. SEER is the ratio of how much electricity your unit consumes compared to the level of cooling output it produces. In northern states like Ohio, where our air conditioning isn’t running 365 days a year, the minimum SEER ratio for new units is 13. Older units probably have a SEER ratio of 10 or lower, which means replacing it with a more efficient unit will certainly decrease your energy bills. Some new units go as high as 25, but based on where you live, the highest SEER rating possible might not actually save you money over time. The higher the SEER rating, the more expensive the unit is. Plus, you might think you’re paying for a higher quality unit overall, but in reality you’re paying for higher efficiency. In a climate where air conditioning isn’t needed year round, you could actually be losing money based on how much you spent on the system. Other factors to consider when thinking the best SEER rating for your new system are how long you plan on utilizing the new system, as well as how long you are planning to live in the home you’re purchasing the system for. This is where it gets a little tricky math-wise. Basically, you need to compare the costs of the different systems and calculate the savings of a model with a lower SEER rating, then determine how often you’ll be running the system to really get a true number for...